Today I am introducing something from Chile: empanadas de pino or Chilean empanadas. Empanadas are filled turnovers or dumplings, usually formed into a half moon. They are popular throughout Latin America. I already have one blog article with eight different empanada recipes. Every country claims one to be “theirs”, sometimes even a city claims to have one special empanada. For example, the city Mendoza in Argentina. Of course I have a recipe for empanadas from Mendoza on my blog. Today we are turning to Chile. Chilean empanadas are slightly sweet. This has to do with the fact that caramelized onions (pino) are used and sultanas. This contrasts nicely with the spiciness. I love this bold kind of flavor, but we warned, empanadas in general are a ton of work. You will need to make the filling, make the dough, then shape and form the empanadas and finally bake them. In addition, the caramelized onions need at least half an hour for them to be ready. But what I like about empanadas is the fact that you can spread the work over several days. Also, you can very easily freeze unbaked, empanadas.
Unlike other empanadas, Chilean empanadas look more like a bag as the sides and top are folded towards the middle
You can see the difference here, on the left how Chilean empanadas look and on the right others
When I served my husband these Chilean empanadas, he mentioned that in Colombia they also served them. I was surprised, usually those two countries don’t have that much to do with each other. Once he tried the dip/sauce, he said it tastes exactly like the Colombian sauce aji. So I checked and alas, he was right, extactly the same ingredients. So suddenly they seemed much more familiar than expected. As said before, I usually make empanadas on two days, one day to prepare the filling and dough, and another to shape them. I usually make enough so that I can freeze some for another meal.
Empanadas de pino from Chile are filled turnovers, a meat and onion mix is accompanied by raisins, olives, and hard-boiled eggs. For the dough heat the milk and measure all ingredients except for the egg for egg wash into a large bowl. Add the warmed milk and knead either by hand or with a machine for about 5-8 minutes until you have an elastic and soft dough. Cover and let rest for at least half an hour. You can also keep in the fridge overnight if kept airtight. For the filling peel and cube the onions and then fry in a bit of olive oil until translucent. Add a bit of butter and keep cooking on medium low for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. If the onions start to burn, add a dash of water. Take out of the frying pan and brown the meat on higher heat in the same. Once fully browned, add the onions back again and stir in all herbs and spices. Then add the flour and let cook for two minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about two minutes until it thickens a bit. Let cool. Once fully cool, stir in sultanas. Meanwhile cook the eggs and cut into pieces and halve the olives. Season filling more if needed. You can also make the filling a day in advance. Keep airtight in the fridge. You can also prepare the salsa the day before, the longer it sits, the better it will taste. Cube the tomatoes, cut the spring onions, chili, garlic, and cilantro. Combine everything in a bowl with all remaining ingredients. Set aside. Now we will assemble the empanadas. Roll out half the dough (keep the other half in the fridge) on a lightly floured surface. Roll out as thinnly as you can (about 1-2mm). Cut out circles of about 13-15cm in diameter, I use a small breakfast bowl for this. Using your finger, wet the edges with a bit of water. Place 2-3 teaspoons of the filling and two half olives on one side of the circle, then cover with the empty part of the circle. You should now have a half moon. Be sure to press down the edges to seal the half moon. Now fold both sides towards the middle and also the top towards the middle (see pictures). You can chill the empanadas prepared like this in the fridge overnight or freeze them, be sure to keep them on parchment paper as otherwise they will stick. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius, place the empanadas on parchment paper and brush with egg wash. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden on medium rack. If baking frozen empanadas, they will need at least 5 minutes longer in the oven. Best served warm with e.g. a fresh salad.Empanadas de Pino from Chile
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